The Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli museum in Mexico City was designed by artist Diego Rivera to house his massive collection of Pre-Hispanic art. The name Anahuacall means "house surrounded by water" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
Design and Symbolism:
Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo bought the land the museum is located on in the 1930s with the intention of creating a farm, but over time they decided to build this temple-museum here.
Rivera had a huge collection of Prehispanic art -
over 50,000 pieces at the time of his death (some 2000 are on display
here at any time). Reportedly he was troubled to see ancient Mexican art
leaving the country and wanted to collect as much of it as he could and
maintain it within Mexico, and ultimately have it on display for people
to enjoy.
The building resembles a Pre-Hispanic pyramid, but with a spacious interior and many rooms. The building itself is full of symbolism. The ground floor of the building represents the underworld.
It is very dark and cool and has depictions of
the gods that ruled this plane. The second floor represents the
terrestrial plane and contains figures that are involved in daily
activities. The third floor represents the heavens. From the terrace on
the top floor you can enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding area.
The museum contains a large light-filled space was originally
intended to function as Diego Rivera's studio. In this space the plans
for Rivera's mural "Man at the Crossroads" are displayed. The mural was
originally supposed to be in the Rockefeller Center
in New York City but was destroyed because of an argument between
Rivera and Nelson Rockefeller about including a portrait of Lenin in the
mural.The construction was not finished by the time of Rivera's death in 1957 and was completed in 1964 under the supervision of O'Gorman and Rivera's daughter Ruth, and made into a museum. The Anahuacalli museum along with the Museo Frida Kahlo, also known as the Blue House, are both held in a trust that is managed by Banco de Mexico.
Diego Rivera's wish was that both his and his wife's ashes be interred here, but upon his death he was buried in the Rotonda de Hombres Ilustres and Frida's ashes have remained at La Casa Azul.
Getting There
The Anahuacalli museum is located in San Pablo Tepetlapa, which is in the Coyoacan borough in the southern part of the city, but not particularly close to the historic center of Coyoacan or the Frida Kahlo museum. On the weekends there is a bus service called the "FridaBus" that offers transportation between the two museums. Admission to both museums is included in the cost, 130 pesos for adults and 65 pesos for children under 12.By purchasing a ticket to either Anahuacalli or the Museo Frida Kahlo, you will also get admission to the other museum (just keep your ticket and show it at the other museum).
Contact Information:
Website: Museo AnahuacalliSocial Media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Address: Museo 150, San Pablo Tepetlapa, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México
Phone: +52 55 5617 3797, 5617 4310, 5617 6825, 5617 6874
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